Michigan

Movie listings for Southwest Michigan

View full sizeCourtesy of New Line Productions, Inc.Don’t fall to sleep: Jackie Earle Haley is Freddy Krueger in, “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” which will open Friday.A listing of films that are playing or being released across Southwest Michigan.

OPENING FRIDAY

“A Nightmare on Elm Street” (R)Freddy Krueger returns in a re-imagining of the classic ’80s horror film from director Samuel Bayer, best known for his music videos with Metallica, Green Day and more. Jackie Earle Haley (“Shutter Island” and “Watchmen”) stars as Freddy. Midnight sneaks at Rave Cityplace 14, Kalamazoo 10, Celebration! Crossroads, Three Rivers 6, Strand in Sturgis. Also opening at Gull Road Cinema 5.

“Furry Vengeance” (PG)Dan Sanders (Brendan Fraser) moves his family from Chicago to Oregon to start work on a housing development disguised as an eco-friendly project. When a group of fiery woodland creatures learn Sanders’ job is to destroy their habitat, they fight back in this family comedy also starring Brooke Shields. 90 minutes. Rave Cityplace 14, Kalamazoo 10, Celebration! Crossroads, Gull Road Cinema 5, Three Rivers 6, M-89 Cinema in Otsego, Michigan Theatre of South Haven, Lakeview Square Cinema in Battle Creek, W. Columbia 7 in Battle Creek.

OPENING MAY 7

“Iron Man 2” (PG-13)After sharing his identity to the masses, billionaire Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is being pressured by the government, the media and the public to share his super suit with the military. Stark refuses, not wanting the wrong people to get their hands on the technology. But when his old rival Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) and a new foe Whiplash (Mickey Rourke) emerge to take him down, Stark turns to his friends for help. Double feature with “Iron Man” starting at 8:45 p.m. May 6 at Rave Cityplace 14 and 9 p.m. May 6 at Celebration! Crossroads, followed by midnight sneaks of “Iron Man 2.” Midnight sneaks at Kalamazoo 10, Three Rivers 6, W. Columbia 7 in Battle Creek. Opening Friday at Gull Road Cinema 5.

“Alice in Wonderland” (***)Director Tim Burton and screenwriter Linda Woolverton (“The Lion King”) have taken substantial liberties with Lewis Carroll’s original stories, a decision that may infuriate purists but one that actually turns out to be somewhat shrewd. If the story leaves something to be desired, the movie is a veritable typhoon of enchanting eye candy. (JS). Rated PG. 108 minutes. Celebration! Crossroads, Lakeview Square Cinema in Battle Creek, W. Columbia 7 in Battle Creek, Cheap Flicks in Battle Creek.

“The Back-up Plan” (PG-13)Some may call this film The Return of Jennifer Lopez, as Zoe, a beautiful, unattached New Yorker who gets artificially inseminated and meets the hunky Stan (Alex O’Loughlin). That’s too bad, because “Back-Up” is so phony and misguided, it may invoke the horror of “Gigli.” (GNS). Rated PG-13. 98 minutes. Rave Cityplace 14, Kalamazoo 10, Celebration! Crossroads, M-89 Cinema in Otsego, Michigan Theatre of South Haven, W. Columbia 7 in Battle Creek.

“The Book of Eli” (** 1/2)As played by Denzel Washington, Eli is not to be trifled with: Moving slowly but steadily through a post-apocalyptic landscape, this solitary man on a mission pauses only to munch on the occasional roasted stray cat and to chop down any would-be highwayman who crosses his path. (JS). Rated R. 118 minutes. Cheap Flicks in Battle Creek.

“Clash of the Titans” (**)Director Louis Leterrier’s remake of the 1981 man-vs.-monsters saga features enough poker faces to populate a dozen funerals — and all the weighty self-importance nearly torpedoes the film. If you thought “Julius Caesar” could have used more giant scorpions, then by all means, buy your tickets now. The rest of us, meanwhile, will scratch our heads at what a big, crashing bore this “Titans” is. (GNS). 2D and 3D. Rated PG-13. 118 minutes. Rave Cityplace 14, Kalamazoo 10, Celebration! Crossroads, M-89 Cinema in Otsego, Strand in Paw Paw, Lakeview Square Cinema, Strand in Sturgis.

“Date Night” (***)Couple Phil (Steve Carell) and Claire (Tina Fey), looking to snap out of their relationship funk, pose as another couple at a fancy restaurant, but a case of mistaken identity puts two tough guys on their trail. The potent chemistry between Carell and Fey lends a little bit of extra comic power to almost every scene, even as the complications become increasingly ridiculous. (JS). Rated PG-13. 88 minutes. Rave Cityplace 14, Kalamazoo 10, Celebration! Crossroads, Gull Road Cinema 5, M-89 Cinema in Otsego, Three Rivers 6 in Three Rivers, Michigan Theatre of South Haven, Strand in Sturgis, Lakeview Square Cinema in Battle Creek.

“Death at a Funeral” (** 1/2)A remake of the 2007 British comedy of the same name, it almost has something interesting to say about the complexity of human relationships, but such commentary is compromised by emphasizing slapstick instead of suggestiveness. (GNS). Rated R. 90 minutes. Rave Cityplace 14, Kalamazoo 10, Celebration! Crossroads, Lakeview Square Cinema in Battle Creek.

“Dear John” (**)This unconvincing film takes its sweet time constructing a low-key romance and then abruptly decides it would rather be a no-holds-barred tearjerker instead. Rated PG-13. 108 minutes. Cheap Flicks in Battle Creek.

“Diary of a Wimpy Kid” (***)This family friendly comedy is actually surprisingly sharp in its observations about pre-teen life as junior high outcasts Greg (Zachary Gordon) and Rawley (Robert Capron) try to boost their scores on the popularity meter in the screen version of Jeff Kinney’s best-seller. (JS). Rated PG. 120 minutes. Celebration! Crossroads, Lakeview Square Cinema in Battle Creek, Strand in Sturgis.

“The Ghost Writer” (****)The Ghost (Ewan McGregor), an experienced writer of other people’s autobiographies, is initially reluctant to accept a gig cleaning up the memoirs of former British Prime Minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan). In the hands of director Roman Polanski, his story is ripe with intrigue, and slyly humorous. (GNS). 128 minutes. Rave Cityplace 14.

“Hot Tub Time Machine” (R)A quartet of friends — Adam (John Cusack), Jacob (Clark Duke), Nick (Craig Robinson) and Lou (Rob Croddry) — decide to drink away their problems in a ski resort hot tub. They wake up the next morning with more than a hangover — they’ve somehow been sent to 1986. 100 minutes. Rave Cityplace 14, Celebration! Crossroads.

“How to Train Your Dragon” (PG)Hiccup is a Viking teenager in a magical world where wild dragons rule. He doesn’t exactly live up to his tribe’s tradition of slaying the dragons, but his perspective is changed when he meets a dragon that challenges Hiccup and his tribe, to re-evaluate the way they see things in an action comedy from the makers of “Shrek,” “Madagascar” and “Kung Fu Panda.” 98 minutes. Rave Cityplace 14, Kalamazoo 10, Celebration! Crossroads, Gull Road Cinema 5, Lakeview Square Cinema in Battle Creek, W. Columbia 7 in Battle Creek, Strand in Sturgis, Loma Theater in Coloma.

“Kick-Ass” (*** 1/2)As it steadily builds to its beautifully choreographed finale, director Matthew Vaughn begins piling on plot complications and surprises in such rapid-fire fashion you may feel like you have Pop Rocks on the brain. The movie rushes through a dizzying variety of moods, yet it never seems out of control or aimless. Like a great workout, the real impact of “Kick-Ass” comes long after it’s over. (JS). Rated R. 117 minutes. Rave Cityplace 14, Kalamazoo 10, Celebration! Crossroads, Three Rivers 6, W. Columbia 7 in Battle Creek, Strand in Sturgis.

“The Last Song” (**)Author Nicholas Sparks’ reliable formula (also seen in “Dear John,” “The Notebook” and others) involves intermingling the joy of new love with the heartbreak of loss in a vaguely maudlin fashion, the result being heaps of tear- and snot-drenched tissues lining theater aisles. “The Last Song” adheres to such predictability and also features the dubious debut of Miley Cyrus as Ronnie, a sulky, surly combat-booted teen. Rated PG. 107 minutes. Rave Cityplace 14, Celebration! Crossroads, Gull Road Cinema 5, Three Rivers 6.

“Oceans” (*** 1/2)Pierce Brosnan narrates this stunningly beautiful documentary in the second in a series from the new Disneynature label. “Oceans” takes a plunge deep into the Earth’s waters, with jaw-dropping results. (AP). Rated G. 100 minutes. Rave Cityplace 14, Kalamazoo 10, Celebration! Crossroads.

“Remember Me” (**)Most of the film is a decent enough dreary melodrama sprinkled with sweet moments. But the relationship between Ally (Emilie de Ravin) and Tyler (Robert Pattinson) has many tear-soaked obstacles to overcome, and we’re privy to every last one of them. Their small crises, you’ll find navigable. It’s the big one that hits you like an asteroid. (GNS). Rated PG-13. 128 minutes. Cheap Flicks at Battle Creek.

“The Tooth Fairy” (**)Dwayne Johnson, aka the artist formerly known as The Rock, returns to family comedies as Derek Thompson, a hard-hitting, minor-league hockey player who becomes a real tooth fairy. (GNS). 102 minutes. Cheap Flicks of Battle Creek.

SPECIAL SCREENINGS

“Mid-August Lunch” (NR)The charismatic Gianni Di Gregorio (co-scenarist of the smash hit “Gomorrah”), stars in his directorial debut — a tale of good food, feisty ladies and unlikely friendships during a very Roman holiday, 6 p.m. April 29-30, Riviera Theatre, 50 N. Main St., Three Rivers. 75 minutes. Italian with English subtitles. $6 for adults, $5 for children, students and seniors. 269-278-8068, trriveria.com.

“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (NR)Forty years ago Harriet Vanger disappeared from a family gathering on the island owned and inhabited by the powerful Vanger clan. Her body was never found, yet her beloved uncle is convinced it was murder and that the killer is a member of his own tightly knit but dysfunctional family, 8:30 p.m. April 29-30; 3 p.m. May 2 and 8; 7 p.m. May 4, 6-7, Riviera Theatre, 50 N. Main St., Three Rivers. 154 minutes. In Swedish with English subtitles. $6 for adults, $5 for children, students and seniors. 269-278-8068, trriveria.com.